Day of the Dead honors icon singer Selena

Deceased singer, songwriter and actress Selena Quintanilla-Pérez was at the center of Day of the Dead celebrations across the U.S. as Mexican-American communities nationwide honored the cultural icon.

A Vocativ analysis of social media trends related to Day of the Dead, or Dia De Los Muertos, revealed the Mexican-American pop star was celebrated with a slew of sacred altars, highlighting how the Texas-born singer, once known as the Queen of Tejano music, has continued to surge in stardom since she died from a gunshot wound two decades ago.

Altars are typically built to commemorate recent deaths or deceased loved ones on the Day of the Dead, held this year on Sunday and Monday. It's much less common for altars to be dedicated to public figures decades after their deaths — an honor reserved for only the most beloved figures, which makes Selena's commemoration even more striking. For many, she has come to represent contradictions in Latina experiences in the U.S. She didn't speak Spanish well but also made distinctly Latin music and brought vibrant Chicana fashion sensibilities to mainstream American audiences.